Mike89

Agreed, I really enjoy catching a nice feed and then taking it home and preparing a good dish. Two months back I was releasing legal bream and flathead because my freezer was too full. Now I've only caught a few trev and a couple of bream in the last month. Would *love* to be going home with more. Guess things will improve in the next few weeks? On the salmon also: I cooked a whole salmon around the 50cm mark up and it was great to eat. Yes, the flesh was a bit oily but with the right recipe (google a recipe specifically for Aus salmon) I think they are a nice table fish. I've heard the bigger ones such as the whoppers you landed tend to be a bit tougher, though. People say they're not great to eat, but I think if that wasn't the conventional wisdom more of us would be taking them home and giving them a try. Next one I catch will be destined for the table, that's for sure!

Taj Mahal - Fishing Blues I knew the song well from an old essentials album I've played to death but the song took on a whole new meaning when the fishing bug got me earlier this year. Often find myself singing the opening lines.. "Bet you goin' fishin' all of the time..." when shuffling around the house getting prepared for a session. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQC2_NJj2iA

Sounds like a bit of fun. Any photos?

Hi guys - I've seen online that there is a volunteer group involved in managing the populations of pest species in Centennial Park called Grass Roots. http://www.centennialparklands.com.au/about/volunteering/carp_management_public From what I gather these guys go out once or twice a month on a designated day and fish the ponds for carp to help control the population. Anyone know about this or ever been involved? I'd love to give it a go one weekend as the park is just behind where I'm living and it might be a nice way to enjoy fishing when I don't want to make a big day of it.

Yeah, the fishing lately has certainly been pretty tough. Something that I always try to remember is what my expectations are when I go out for a session. All too often it can be easy to feel disappointed with what you do or don't end up catching. For example, the other night I was targeting yellowtail, pan fish and whatever big fish might go for a yakka. Caught a whole bunch of yakkas, a just legal tailor and a smallish shovel-nose shark (released). Sure, not a great catch but if I hit all my targets I'm going to rank it as an excellent session.

Thanks!

I'm not 100% on exactly what a shock leader is? I usually run a fluoro leader about 2.5 or 3 x the rod length. So for a 6.5 or 7ft rod it will go well into the reel, but with a slim join knot I don't have problems casting. Is this what people mean by a shock leader? I see what you mean by this though - I was experiencing something similar. At the time I was using a large stem float with about a metre of trace and a split shot about 30cm from the hook. Now things have been a bit quiet and I haven't caught anything in a while I can say I was getting a fantastic hookup rate with this set up - but I still got busted off every one of the salmon. I had a heartbreaking moment one morning where I had finally pulled one right in to where I could see him and confirm that he was in fact what I was trying for - a nice Australian salmon - only to have him shake the hook at the surface and swim off. Caught two nice bream that morning and still went home disappointed! With what I've been catching lately (zip) I really should have been more happy with that. One of the problems was like you were saying - my braid was getting caught on the rocks and either weakening and breaking on the reel in or snagging at the float. I lost a lot of floats. This was because I was fishing down from a cliff and the wind would slowly drive slack line into the snags. It is a really snaggy spot. As for the setup I'm using - a light 6.5ft telescopic rod and a 2500 or 1000 reel. I'm using 20lb braid with 20lb Sunline FC Rock. I was using 12lb Sunline FC (plain stuff) and 12lb Black Magic previously, and use the 12lb stuff for bream, flathead and trevally. I've heard these brands and products are good. The braid is also Sunline. Would you recommend another brand I could try? Recently bought a new set-up - 7ft Ugly Stik with a 3000 Shimano, 25lb braid and the FC Rock 20lb leader. A few people in the stores have suggested that this is overkill or that the rod and reel are a bit light for the line I'm using - what do you think? Haven't caught a fish with it yet. Lately when I've hooked up with a decent trevally the fish always manages to shake the hook. Is this about not putting enough pressure on the line or letting the fish come in still fighting or just bad luck? Thanks for the help and suggestions.

Must have been disappointing. Never heard of eagle rays but a quick google and it looks like something that would have been worthwhile getting a closer look at. My bail arm sticks on the black connecting arm that joins with the rod when I try to cast where the bail arm touches the connecting arm when you open it. It's a minor annoyance - you just have to rotate the spool slightly - but an annoyance nonetheless. Have you tried the SSVs? I might get a bigger one for a beach set-up when summer rolls around. I'm thinking reels in the 5000-8000 range so even an 850 or a 950 might do the job. Anyone tried the live liner model on the SSV?

Thanks! I see - that's what I always thought but no one had clarified this for me. It seems to make sense - a strong fish should be able to quickly exert a strong force greater than its own weight, right? I've since switched to FC Rock 20lb - it's great stuff and should handle the job but alas the salmon have since shied off the bite and I haven't had a hookup. Should be able to get one soon! Cheers

Nice. I recently upgraded to a 650SSM for big fish when surf fishing. I didn't want to spend over $100 so opted for the SSM over the SSV or something fancier. So far, so good - christened it this week with a little shovel-nose shark. Good reel, good value. Although - do you notice that the bail arm gets stuck in some positions? My only gripe with the reel. What was the monster that wore out the drag?

Thanks guys for all the advice. I ended up staying right by the creek between Huskisson and Vincentia. Fished the creek but with all the rain the water was muddied up. Spoke to a few locals who said it's a good spot for flathead and mullet when the tide runs out but again with the conditions nothing was biting! Went up to Woollomia and had similar results. Fished Hyams Beach without much success but it was a nice morning all the same! Finally got some fish at Huskisson Wharf yesterday before heading home. A couple of mullet, a bunch of undersize bream, and what I'm guessing was a flathead on my (just learning) fishing partner's line. She panicked and didn't know what to do, brought him in just under the water where we couldn't see him. By the way the line was pulled out (drag on pretty tight) it looked like a nice fish! Slipped off at the last minute - net in hand - with a busload of Chinese tourists who were crowded around us waiting just as disappointed as I was. All in all good trip and I definitely learnt a lot about different kinds of fishing (poor conditions!) and have a few nice spots to try when the weather gets a bit warmer. I also spoke to a younger guy about fishing the tubes who says he has caught some nice fish around there off the rocks. I'm guessing there are some people here who have fished there? Sounds like a pretty big thrill to catch such big game fish off the rocks land-based. Thanks for all the help guys!

I'll be in Huskisson, but mobile. WIth only a few days I don't want to complicate things so I was hoping to visit a couple of nice LB spots, maybe a nice beach or a national park and maybe a wharf or jetty I could fish off tomorrow night. Realistically with the rain and all I'd be stoked to catch a couple of a fish. Is there a national park somewhere quiet where it is possible to catch a few good fish? Thanks so much!

Hey guys - I'm heading down the coast on Friday for hopefully a few days and if the weather permits I'll be fishing. Completely new to the area and wondering if I could get a heads-up on some reliable land-based fishing spots. As I'm only there for the weekend I won't have much chance to spend time exploring. Would love to catch some trevally, salmon, pelagics and good old bream and flathead if they're around. It's been tough fishing lately at least for me so any general pointers for winter fishing as I'd like to make this is a productive weekend would be helpful! Thanks!

Game rod live baiting isn't really what I've got in mind (next year maybe?) - a large jewfish is probably the largest thing I'd be hoping for. I will probably continue to use the aerowave for now, seems to be ok but will definitely consider getting a baitrunner reel when it comes time to upgrade. So is there any need for a long rod when throwing livies off a wharf or rocks? Or simply a heavier ie. 6-12kg rod? Baits are small-medium yellowtail, garfish, poddy mullet if I can catch them and squid. Thanks for your help - plenty for me to learn.

I think my Shimano 10ft is a fibreglass aerowave. Good rod and has done me well for the price. I might keep this one for now and upgrade to a longer beach rod for summer. What do you mean in heavy? Is that the 6-12kg weight raiting? Is a glass rod fibreglass? Thanks for the advice on the reels. I'll have a look at some of the brands you have mentioned. I'm using 30 or 40 lb braid at the moment (can't remember what it was). Why do you suggest using 20-30lb mono or 30-50lb braid - the braid is much stronger than 20-30lb mono, no? Baitrunner reels were explained to me the other day, I'm still not sure why I would use this reel instead of a regular spincaster?

I'm hoping to get some new gear soon and am thinking of upgrading to a new reel and maybe rod for LB live baiting and sit-and-wait style dead baiting for bigger fish around 5kg and up. What I'm using now is a 10ft Shimano $100 rod/reel combo (6500 reel) which has landed me a couple of good-sized flatheads and a couple of nice gummies. I also intend to use this rod at the beach when the weather gets warmer so I'm wondering if I should go for a shorter length rod for this kind of fishing. Not too knowledgable on rod and reels so I was hoping for some help from the experts here - Can I get away with a strong 7 or 8 foot rod here, or is the leverage that you get on longer rods necessary for those bigger fish? What size reel and why is this important? Recently got a new mid-range Shimano 3000 and not sure if this will be 'enough'. Also, do you need a bigger reel for beach fishing? What brand/model/material would people recommend? I'm looking at mid-range here, I'm after quality gear that will last without needing to be cradled and that can take a few scratches and not fall apart.

I do know there have been some whiting at odd times around Balmoral lately, only little guys but they are about!

I tried to find this stuff on the beach without much success. Got some ribbon looking darker seaweed and tried that, got nothing!

Thanks!

Thanks for the input! I'll try that. Had some success with the bi-carb but yes it looks like the rust is returning already. Have a question about the line-roller washer. There is a metal washer and a second thin plastic washer over the top. The plastic washer has disappeared! Does anybody think this is needed? Thanks for help.

Didn't know there was such a stuff. I'm using a bi-carb mix at the moment, will see if I can find some of that stuff if it doesn't work for the screws. How is the coil supposed to sit? I opened up the handle and the spring just jumped out at me. Thanks in advance. Cheers!

Hi guys - hoping to get some advice here on how to remove rust from the screws on my Penn Assault 6500. Found this reel on the end of the wharf one day and it has performed excellently however I noticed today that most of the screws are quite rusted. I've run over with a toothbrush and Mr. Sheen however I am concerned that the rust is deeper or could still spread. Could anyone offer a suggestion for how to remove the rust completely from these screws? Or should I get new screws (from Penn..?) ? The perfectionist bent inside me wants the rust gone, today! New to fishing so general pointers on reel maintenance would also be appreciated! Thanks guys!

I see - thanks! Hopefully won't have too many more bust offs. It's a difficult area to land fish but wow there are some big ones that come past that can be great fun to sight fish. Not giving up yet! I'll get out there again probably this weekend when I get the new rod and leader. Picked up a nice reel (Sahara) yesterday and spooled with some 25lb braid so looking forward to it.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm just trying to figure everything out as I hear very different things from different people, particularly on whether to use a light leader or not. Remember reading "go light - you'll get more fish, but you'll lose more too" somewhere and was wondering if this might be it? I've been playing with the 12lb and the guy told me it was more than enough when I told him I was targeting salmon! Going for 20lb rock stuff and maybe something heavier. I'm fishing them in calmer water, they're spooked easily and I haven't had much success with heavier leaders and thought that the hook-ups I got on the 12lb might be because of the lighter leader. Will give the tough 20lb a go and let you know how it goes. So it's not just me losing the fish then? Thanks for the advice! Cheers

Hi Fishraiders - first post here so excited to have some input from you guys! I've gotten a bit fish-crazy in recent months, putting in many hours going out and trying to catch some fish. I've experimented with some new rigs and styles that I'd never used as a kid, fiddling with hooks and lines and have recently settled on targeting Australian salmon that school with some regularity at an estuary bay spot I fish. I've been targeting them over a cliff spot where it is easy to lose fish around a bend and difficult to get down to a safe spot to land fish (losing fish often!). I'm starting to wonder if it's worth trying another spot in the same water. I'm land-based also so options are limited. I sight these guys often and landed only one using a pencil float and a 60lb trace just short of a metre. Fluked it with such a heavy trace I think but have now been using the same technique with a 3-4kg fibreglass shimano telescopic cheapo, sedona 1000 with 100m of 20lb braid (backed to mono) and 12lb sunline leader (nice and thin). I find it hard to get the salmon to strike on thicker lines (black magic). Just ordered an Okuma graphite 7' telescopic (prefer these for fish to 3kg just for ease of carry but any opinion on using telescopic would be welcome also) for the job and might upgrade the reel also. Thinking 2000-3000 but don't really have much knowledge so hoping to get some advice here. As experience is limited for me both with this species and fishing generally I was wondering if I could get some advice from the fishos here on how best to go about landing them? There is another area that I can get them sometimes but in order to land the fish you might have to pull them up by the line. On a 12lb line with a fish still kicking this might be a good way to lose a fish! I've lost about 6 or more good fish recently in this area, at least 3 I know for sure were nice 2kg+ salmon (one snapped the line right in close before my eyes!). Snapped hooks, broken lines, rock snags. Do I use a stronger leader (thinking sunline 20lb) or do I need something even heavier duty? Any advice on how to play these guys too would be a great help! Happy to post a pic of the one bugger I did manage to land if any interest. Thanks guys !